Want to write for METRO? You and about 1,000 other people. We don't want to discourage anyone from pitching us, as many of our best ideas come from our freelancers, but we receive dozens of queries a day. Before you read our writers' guidelines (and commit them to memory, of course), we'd like to offer these tips on how to get a freelance gig with us.

• Always pitch an actual story idea. Sending an e-mail that simply lets us know you're a freelance writer available to write doesn't really tell us a lot about you, such as what you're interested in writing and how you'd write it.
• Actually read the magazine before you pitch. Get to know the regular columns and departments. In your pitch, explain where in the magazine you think your story would best fit. Of course, everyone thinks their story should be on the cover, but there's a whole science that goes into what we select as cover stories, which brings us to...
• Pitch stories directly connected to the Twin Cities area. Because people pick up METRO magazine to learn more about the Twin Cities and the surrounding region, we rarely publish stories that aren't directly connected to what's happening right here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul areas.
• Know the tone of the magazine. METRO's writers have unique voices that are professional without being overly formal. If you can approximate this style, you might be right for METRO.

Who's writing and illustrating the magazine?

Most of the magazine is written by the staff. We hire local writers only because they have the best understanding of the city and its vernacular. METRO magazine has a regular food & drinks editor, arts & entertainment editor and fashion editor. Some story art is assigned to local photographers and illustrators by the art director.

Query Procedures
WE DO NOT ACCEPT QUERIES OVER THE PHONE.

Queries should be submitted in writing via e-mail or fax only and consist of three parts:

1. What is the story? A brief synopsis written in the style of your proposed piece.
2. How will you tell it? Detail what sources you will use and how you will research the story.
3. Why? Answer the "so what?" Why is this story important now? Why should you be the one to tell it? Why is this story right for METRO magazine?

PLEASE ALSO SEND THREE OF YOUR BEST MAGAZINE-STYLE WRITING CLIPS.

What should I avoid in a query?
Don't send us queries that have nothing to do with life in the Twin Cities. Even though our magazine covers a broad range of topics, we're not interested in everything under the sun. Your story idea must be relevant to our readers' lives and must tap into a current vein be it food, shopping, politics, social issues, etc.

We are also mostly interested in experienced writers who have written specifically for consumer magazines like ours.

How will I know if you've accepted my query?
Sometimes it takes us months to get around to reading queries. Because of our staff size and the volume of queries we receive, it is impossible for us to respond to every query. We will do our best to respond to your query in the timeliest manner possible. We prefer that you follow up with us via email. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Sometimes your pitch isn't exactly what we're looking for, but we like your tone, your approach and the way you think. If that happens, we'll usually keep your pitch and clips on file and contact you if a story comes up that we think you might be interested in. You never know; you could hear from us a year after you pitched us for a totally different reason.

If you want the opportunity to sell your story to another publication after we've had a chance to review it, please indicate a time frame (ie. "If I don't hear from you within 30 days, I'll assume you're not interested and will begin to pitch the story to other publications.") We won't take it personally.

If you are to get an assignment from us, style and content, as well as deadline and payment, are negotiated when the assignment is made. The editor will then issue a contract to be signed by both writer and editor.

Payment Procedures
Freelance writers are paid on or about 60 days after publication. Expenses such as phone calls, mileage, meals and trips are generally not reimbursed. METRO magazine purchases exclusive one-time rights for a period of 60 days from publication. All editorial material is protected by copyright. Tiger Oak Publications retains the right to reprint editorial material for promotional use by a Tiger Oak publication, with credit given.

Additional writing opportunities with Tiger Oak Publications
Tiger Oak Publications also publishes Minnesota Bride magazine twice a year in January and July (mnbride.com). Minnesota Meetings + Events magazine four times per year (mnmeetingsmag.com) and MinnesotaBusiness magazine (mnbusiness.com). Tiger Oak Publications also produces six monthly consumer lifestyle magazines that focus specifically on Twin Cities suburban communities: Eden Prairie, Edina, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth and Woodbury.

Questions?
For questions concerning editorial matters, contact Editor in Chief Chris Clayton.

For questions concerning art, contact Art Director Bryan Nanista.
We cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, slides, photographs or other material.

Where to send your query:
PLEASE SEND ALL QUERIES VIA EMAIL TO Chris Clayton.